hello everyone,
I changed my coolant this morning in my 1987 and read up on purging the air prior to starting.I read from the search here,I read from my FSM,and I read the little bit that is in Newton's book.Well,I'm even dumber than I thought I Was.I can't get the low coolant light to go out and I'm afraid to run the engine too long with low coolant showing.Now I also have a lit red light on a little black box that sits on top of the engine and I assume has something to do with the throttle switch because it says TPS.The engine is also running rough,and I'm wishing I would have left the old coolant in because I had no major issues except for needing a starting point for changing my fluids & plugs.when you find some free time I'd sure appreciate someone telling me how to get this issue resolved.Thanks in advance.
tankman

 

I just changed the anti freeze in my 85 yesterday. It sounds like you have an air pocket and need to "burp" your system. With the radiator fill cap open, run your engine and keep feeding it until it's full. Just keep an eye on your gauges and make sure you don't overheat. Also make sure your recovery (overflow) tank is at the full hot mark. I shut mine down a couple of times and let it cool down. I then filled it, put the cap back on and took it for a short drive. It seemed to burp itself and went well from there. I then topped it off at home. Hope this helps. Good luck

 

Hey capevettes,
Thank you very much.I will jump on it again first thing in the morning.I got a little nervous when the engine started running rough & that red light came on on that little black rectangular thingy.Are you saying I should start the process with the recovery system at the full mark?

 

Yes. The recovery tank should be filled to the full/hot mark. Feed the radiator directly while it's running.

 

Having an air pocket in the system should not cause rough running and cause on of the lights to come on in the DIC. The LOW COOLANT light is yellow and is at the bottom right of the DIC.

What light came on? What did the word say?

Another way to get rid of air pockets is to raise the front end of the car at least 12". The angle will cause air pockets to move up and forward.

With the car raised, remove the presure cap and start the engine. If the coolant appears at the very top of the filler neck, use a turkey baster to suck out coolant so that the level is about an inch below the neck.

Start the engine and let it idle until the stat opens (you will most likely see the level drop a bunch and coolant will flow much faster. Raise the RPM's to about 1200 and fill the radiator to the top of the neck and replace the cap. Keep the engine running for a few minutes while checking the coolant temp. Then shut it off, lower the car and fill the overflow tank to the HOT mark.

As the engine cools down, the air should be displaced and coolant will be drawn into the system from the tank.

 

Hello capevettes & c4cruiser,
Thanks again for the help.I will be at it in the morning.c4cruiser,the light didn't come on in the DIC.There is a small black rectangular electronic device with a red and green light on it sitting on top of the engine near the A/c compressor.I never noticed the red light lit until today.

 

Whatever that is, it's something that is clearly aftermarket. There is nothing from the factory with indicator lights under the hood.

Can you take a pic of it?

 

I could take a pic,but I'm too stupid to figure out how to post.

 

It's actually pretty easy. If you look in the Help section there is a tutorial on how to post pics.

 

easy to others is monumental to me.I'll look though.

 

all the advice is good here, but one other thing, when you fill the coolant turn on the heater..as the coolant will flow through and the level will be lower, the heater core holds some coolant as well.

 

Thank you.

 

Same thing on my '87. Follow his wise advice.

 

Hello capevettes & everyone else who helped me.I followed capevettes advice first & that has apparently solved my problem.I took two short trips and the low coolant light came on & each time I came back home and topped it off.The third trip was longer and I took my coolant & funnel with me.The low coolant warning did not come on.Thank you all very much.

tankman

 

Glad it worked out Tankman. Sometimes when you undertake a general maintenance procedure you run into problems and start thinking that you wished you left it alone. Then when you get it right it's worth it. Enjoy the ride

 

Hello capevettes,
Some of your words were my thoughts exactly as I stared dumbfoundedly at my radiator.I thought to myself,why couldn't I have left this alone.Thanks again for the help.

tankman